1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to load supporting belts such as used by artisans in the building trades, in-field workers or for general utility support purposes. More particularly, the invention relates to such a load supporting belt which is segmented and articulated for engaging the contours of the wearer's hips and supporting a load below the waist at the approximate hip-thigh joint.
2. Prior Art
In general, load supporting belts, both with and without supporting shoulder straps, are well known in the prior art. Such belts are used for a variety of purposes such as tool supports for artisans and mechanics in the construction trades and for more specialized purposes, as for example, carrying planting supplies in the field or forest or supporting certain categories of sports equipment. One of the primary problems with such load supporting belts is that of adapting the belt for use by persons of varying waist sizes and hip contours. The belt itself is usually secured about the wearer's waist with primary vertical support being relied upon through contact with the wearer's hips. For this reason it is usually necessary to manufacture and stock such load supporting belts in a variety of graded mens and womens sizes in an attempt to match the belt with both waist size but body contour. As a result, the desired 100% hip contact with the belt surface is seldom achieved.
The belts of the type under consideration usually place the load attachment point on the belt at waist level. My prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,643 discloses a load supporting belt and shoulder harness of the type described wherein the load supporting pouches are pivotally connected to the waist belt. In this embodiment, the carrying pouches are allowed to swing freely which maintains the load substantially stationary while the wearer bends and moves about to perform physical tasks. As with other prior art devices, the belt itself is a single continuous unit with a front buckle. In addition to the difficulty of initially obtaining an exact fit for the particular user as discussed, the single piece belt loses its ability to perform its intended function as the physically active wearer moves about. For instance, as the field person bends and walks or uses chopping or digging tools, the belt shifts and loses its ability to support the load from the wearer's hips.